At least he doesn’t do a ‘Franken,’ he admits essentially that he did it, doesn’t play this game of ‘I remember it differently’ and immediately stepped aside from his empire.
Via Fox News:
Mario Batali has stated that he will “step away from the day-to-day operations” of his restaurant empire following allegations of sexual misconduct — and ABC has also confirmed that he’s been asked to leave “The Chew” for the time being.
The celebrity chef, 57, has been accused by four women of inappropriate behavior in the workplace and elsewhere, including grabbing and groping three of his female employees, and even grabbing a fellow chef who approached him at a New Orleans wine auction ten years ago, Eater NY reported on Monday morning.
The four women have declined to reveal their names, but the latter accuser claimed that Batali groped her breasts after she spilled wine on her chest, while saying something to the effect of “Let me help you with that.” The woman also alleges that Batali had been under the influence of alcohol at the time, and that just prior to the incident, he came off as “creepy” and “icky,” Eater reports.